Homeland Security chairman opens at hearing for government coordination on combating Ebola

Opening comments at a hearing on government coordination for combating Ebola were made on Friday by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

In McCaul’s opening at the hearing, titled Ebola in the Homeland: The Importance of Effective International, Federal, State and Local Coordination, he said that with the growing rate of Ebola in Africa and in other parts of the world, the U.S. government is taking steps to prevent the spread of Ebola.

“The American people are rightfully concerned," McCaul said. "They are concerned because the Ebola virus is an unseen threat, and it is only a plane-flight away from our shores.”

McCaul said that after the recent diagnosis of Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas there were contact-tracing and containment procedures put into place.

He also asked that the Senate approve the Pentagon’s request for more money for the fight on Ebola.

“I urge the Senate to follow the lead of the House and approve the Pentagon’s request to transfer additional resources to the fight," McCaul said. "The Defense Department is seeking to move $750 million toward response efforts, and we should move swiftly to satisfy that request."